


Sensitive

by Redpanda18



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Kim Jungwoo (NCT)-centric, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, Neglect, Protective Lee Taeyong, Sad Kim Jungwoo (NCT), Self-Indulgent, Sick Character, Sick Kim Jungwoo (NCT), Sickfic, Soft Kim Jungwoo (NCT)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24160279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redpanda18/pseuds/Redpanda18
Summary: Jungwoo has always been sensitive. It used to plague him all the time but when he joined NCT he finally started to accept himself. But just because he's better off now doesn't mean words don't still hurt. With all the members being so stressed lately they seem to forget about Jungwoo's emotions. Even though Jungwoo's brain knows they don't mean it, his heart doesn't.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Jungwoo, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Kim Jungwoo, Kim Jungwoo & Moon Taeil, Kim Jungwoo (NCT)/Everyone, Kim Jungwoo/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Kim Jungwoo/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Kim Jungwoo/Lee Taeyong, Kim Jungwoo/Mark Lee (NCT), Kim Jungwoo/Nakamoto Yuta, Kim Jungwoo/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 14
Kudos: 492





	1. Chapter 1

Jungwoo has always been an emotional person. Whatever emotion it is, he feels it hard. He used to get bullied frequently for it and he was miserable for the longest time. He finally learned how to put a wall up when he was a trainee because he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it if he cried about every little thing. Of course, he had a lot of bad days where he would get upset at little criticisms or something one of the other trainees said to him, but he wasn’t as bad as before. No one had called him too sensitive or to man up yet so he considered that a win. Whenever he was feeling down, especially when the staff had said something that hit at his insecurities, he’d hold it in until he was alone and then let himself wallow in his emotions.

When he debuted with NCT, he started to learn that he didn’t have to put up a barrier. Taeyong and the other members had shown him and told him multiple times that he was fine the way he was and that he could always rely on them. He used to be ashamed and tried to hide whenever he was upset, but the other members had gradually broken through his wall and shown him that he didn’t need to run away. He owes a lot of his now confident and affectionate nature to the members. Because of them, he doesn’t feel afraid to be affectionate and emotional. 

Even though the Dreamies are all younger than him, he’s also learned a lot from them in terms of how to be more open about his feelings and that being clingy isn’t a bad thing. He finds himself loosening up whenever he’s with the younger subunit and he especially likes goofing around with Donghyuk when they’re doing schedules for NCT 127. He’s gotten much better at sharing his feelings and letting himself feel them because the members have never pushed him too far. They’ve teased him and joked about his crying a lot before, but it’s never been malicious and he knows they don’t really mean it. Logically, he knows they don’t mean some of their snide comments that they let slip occasionally, but his heart doesn’t always know that.

They’ve never teased him so far that they’ve hurt him before, but recently it’s been getting to him. It’s probably because the staff has started criticizing him more and their schedules have picked up, but he’s become more sensitive and the other members have become more stressed. That combination has not been faring well for Jungwoo. At the dorms when everyone is back and exhausted, tempers are more easily lost and sometimes people snap. That’s been the trend lately and Jungwoo has been too scared to say anything even though he has been upset by things they’ve said this week.

Usually, he would roll with the punches and respond with something equally as sassy, but he hasn’t been able to. Recently, some of the words have started to sting and it just makes him more emotional than he already is. He’s done a good job of hiding it, or the members just haven’t bothered to notice, because no one has treated him differently or asked if something was wrong. 

He needs to say something soon before he ends up breaking down or getting in a fight with one of the members. He can’t keep doing this to himself. The vocalist sighs deeply and runs a hand through his hair tiredly. He needs to talk to the members soon, but preferably when they’re in a better mood so things don’t escalate. That means he’ll have to talk to them at game night tomorrow or talk to some of them individually which will be super difficult; game night it is then. He can already feel his anxiety spike at the idea of having to address this issue, but it needs to be done. 

“Jungwoo-ssi?” A voice calls. 

“Yes?”

  
  
Jungwoo quickly sits up in his chair to seem like he wasn’t distracted. He had been waiting for a couple of hours to record his lines and his mind had naturally wandered. He had been trying to calm his nerves by thinking about anything other than harsh recording staff but had ended up worrying about the situation with the members at the dorm. Nothing seems to be going right for him. 

“It’s time to record,” the staff responds, uninterested. 

Jungwoo follows her and slowly heads into the recording room while the female staff takes her place in the booth with the other three staff. 

“Ok, let’s start at the top.”

The first half-hour of recording goes rather smoothly. It’s once he has to start recording a higher part and other harmonies that things start to sour. His voice cracks the first time he tries to hit the high note and the staff are immediately all over him telling him to fix it and why he got it wrong. It’s been happening for a while now and Jungwoo had no idea what changed. They never used to be so critical before and it is definitely not helping his anxiety. When he tries the note again it’s more stable, but it’s still off pitch which earns him another scolding about practicing more and knowing the difference between notes. The comments affect him a lot, but he still remains obedient and cordial with the staff. 

  
The routine continues with Jungwoo recording a small piece, and then the staff tearing it apart until it’s perfect. By the end of it all, the vocalist is frustrated with himself and just wants to leave so he can be alone and be upset. The producer makes him record one last harmony because he said it sounded weird and then finally lets him leave. Jungwoo bows respectfully and then scurries out of the recording room. He grabs his backpack from the chair he was waiting in earlier and slings it over his shoulder aggressively. He’s the last one to finish up and he had already told the hyungs that he wouldn’t need a ride back so they didn’t have to wait, so that means he has to walk home alone. It’s not so bad though because he needs some time to cool off. He’s still slightly angry and bitter about his recording session, but he can’t really control that so he’ll just have to deal with it. 

Jungwoo takes his time walking back because the air is crisp and it helps him cool him down both physically and mentally. Underneath all the frustration of the past few weeks mostly lies hurt and sadness. It’s times like these that he really resents being so sensitive. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal but his heart seems to think so and it’s aggravating. He wants to be able to joke with the members again and not be cut so deep by the staff’s critical comments. 

When Jungwoo finally makes it back to the dorm, it’s chaotic. Taeyong, Johnny, Taeil, and Doyoung are attempting to make dinner while the other members are trying to simultaneously set the table and clean up a little bit. Jaehyun and Yuta seem to be the only ones actually helping though. Jungwoo smiles a little bit at the sight before slipping past them to go dump his backpack in his shared room. When he returns he’s suddenly grabbed by the arm as he walks past the kitchen. 

Taeyong frowns slightly at Jungwoo and the vocalist feels his heart jump in anticipation. _Is he in trouble?_

“Jungwoo-ah where were you?”

The younger male tilts his head slightly in confusion. He thought he told the leader earlier that he was the last to record and that he would be back later than them.

“I was recording.” 

“For so long?”

  
  
“I couldn’t get this one line right and then-,” Jungwoo tries to explain.

“Taeyong!” Johnny calls from over at the stove.

“Hold on!” The leader yells back.

He gives Jungwoo a blank look before letting go of his arm and then sighing.

“Ok. Just, help the others set the table or something.”  
  
With that, Taeyong retreats back to the kitchen to help Johnny not burn down the kitchen. Jungwoo feels his heart pang painfully and tries to hold it together. All he can think of is that Taeyong is disappointed in him. The leader was probably counting on him to help out which is why he was asking why Jungwoo took so long and that was probably why he sounded so tired when he told Jungwoo to just help with something else. He can’t help that the staff held him so long and even though he does feel slightly offended at the injustice, he’s mostly hurt. 

The vocalist wordlessly helps Jaehyun and Yuta finish setting up the table and then moves on to help fold some of the blankets in the living room. The simple task helps keep him from fully giving in to his negative emotions. Once Mark and Donghyuk see Jungwoo taking action, they finally start moving and begin collecting the various dishes and random objects scattered around the room. Eventually, everything is more or less tidy and dinner is finally done. Jungwoo helps set over some of the food to try and compensate for not helping earlier, but Taeyong doesn't seem to notice.

Dinner is rowdy as usual, but the mood is different. The atmosphere is tenser and Jungwoo knows it’s because they’re all stressed and tired from their schedules. Even though the conversations are loud like usual, there’s more frustration and negative emotions in some of the members’ comments. Taeil is being more passive-aggressive than usual and Yuta’s sass has also increased. Luckily, Taeyong seems to sense that everyone’s patience is running thin and helps speed dinner along. Unfortunately, because dinner is shorter than usual Jungwoo doesn’t get to eat as much as he would like. He knows that he’s going to have to sneak back to the kitchen later since he knows he’ll be hungry.

The vocalist also finds himself roped into helping clean dishes after dinner because Taeyong had asked him. Jungwoo was tempted to say no because he had already helped set the table and clean earlier. Taeyong just hadn’t noticed, but he couldn’t do that to his leader. Taeyong looked tired and Jungwoo also didn’t want to be a burden. He already knew that his hyung was disappointed in him and he didn’t need even more guilt for not helping.

So here he is, quietly cleaning the dishes with Doyoung who lost at rock paper scissors after the meal was done. The other members are getting ready for bed and Jungwoo finds himself getting unnecessarily upset at the situation again. He just wants to take a quick shower and then go to bed but he can’t because he’s stuck doing the dishes as a punishment for something he can’t really control. Jungwoo scrubs the dish he’s currently holding rigorously in an attempt to release some of his pent-up energy. He’s too busy absorbed in his own negative thoughts about the day that he doesn't notice the look Doyoung is giving him. 

The singer is giving his dongsaeng a calculating look as he tries to decipher the expression on Jungwoo’s face. He’s clearly upset. Doyoung could tell from how stony he was at dinner and he can tell now from the way Jungwoo is chewing on his bottom lip and practically glaring at the plate that he’s clearing. The older singer opens his mouth to say something but is cut off when Jungwoo abruptly places the last dish on the pile for Doyoung to dry and promptly leaves the kitchen. Doyoung is left to stare at the spot Jungwoo was just in, mind turning as he tries to figure out what’s going on with their usually cheerful member.

  
  
  
  


* * *

The short five-minute shower Jungwoo intended on taking ended up turning into a twenty-minute shower when he started crying. There was no way he could leave with evidence of him crying or else he would face questions that he just couldn't answer right now. He cried for multiple reasons. There were tears of frustration for not being good enough at singing, for having his hyungs being disappointed in him, and tears of sadness for just being so affected by everyone's words lately. He was angry at himself for not being able to just suck it up and deal with it and he was disappointed in himself for not being able to speak up. 

Every time he wanted to express that he was upset, he just couldn’t do it. The fear of the members calling him too sensitive or getting angry at him for telling them that they were doing something wrong was too great. He couldn’t do it, not yet. Fortunately, he was the last one to shower so he didn’t cut into anyone’s shower time, but it also meant that Jaehyun had already gone to bed so Jungwoo had to be super quiet when he came back. 

Jungwoo had successfully gotten into bed pretty quietly, but he couldn’t stop tossing and turning. His mind was like a broken record that kept repeating all the things he did wrong and he couldn't shut it off. So here he is now, staring at the ceiling desperately waiting for sleep to overtake him, it doesn’t. The vocalist shifts again to be on his side and that’s when Jaehyun finally speaks.

“Jungwoo!” The other whisper -shouts from across the dark room. “Stop moving around!”

_Crap._ He thought Jaehyung had already gone to bed. Apparently he had kept the older up with the amount of movement and noise he had been causing. 

“Sorry!” Jungwoo whispers back.

Jungwoo knows that Jaehyung’s probably just tired, but his harsh tone still stings a little. The vocalist ends up deciding to sneak out to the kitchen and then just sleep in the living room. He’s still hungry anyway and if he sleeps on the couch then he won’t disturb anyone. Jungwoo slips out of bed as quietly as possible and closes the door behind him before shuffling to the kitchen. The single counter light is on, but it’s enough. The brunette pulls the cereal box out of the cabinet that it’s usually stored in and makes himself a bowl. He silently opens the fridge, gets the milk out, shuts the door, and almost screams. Taeil entered the room just as Jungwoo shut the door and nearly gave the younger male a heart attack.

“Hyung!” Jungwoo hisses. “You can’t do that! I almost had a heart attack!”

Taeil just laughs at him and waves his hand dismissively. 

“You’re too young for that. Also, why are you up here?”

  
  
“I was hungry,” Jungwoo defends. 

Taeil rolls his eyes.

“Again?”

“I’m always hungry, you guys know that,” Jungwoo responds.

“Yeah, but you could also eat something healthier,” Taeil responds.

Jungwoo already doesn’t like where this conversation is going. He’s sure that his hyung is about to lecture him. 

“It’s not that much.”

  
  
Taeil frowns. 

“Woo, I’m just concerned,” the older male tries to soothe. 

The vocalist is confused. _What is Taeil concerned about?_

“Why?”

  
  
Taeil walks past Jungwoo and gets himself a glass of water before standing behind the bar directly across from his dongsaeng. 

“I just want you to be healthy, and I think caving and eating too much junk food all the time isn’t good for you. This is all you eat whenever you have a midnight snack and I think it’s kind of a bad habit. You also snack a lot and that’s fine, but maybe it could be something else other than sweets. Aren’t you concerned?” 

The “about your weight” part goes unsaid, but Jungwoo knows that’s what Taeil is getting at. He’s never really been concerned about his weight because even though he eats a lot, he also exercises a lot and needs that much energy to get him through. Yuta’s even complimented him on his abs before so he’s never really thought that much about his weight and he’s never really seen it as a bad thing until now. _Should he be concerned?_ Jungwoo can’t help all the doubts that start to flood his mind and he can only shrug in response to his hyung’s question.

Taeil pats Jungwoo on the shoulder in an attempt to be comforting, but it just comes across as pitying which does nothing for Jungwoo’s already low confidence. The vocalist pulls on a fake smile, which his hyung buys, and desperately tries not to let his eyes get glassy. He can’t show that he’s affected. Taeil finishes his glass of water and then heads back to his room. Jungwoo knows that he’s definitely not going to be able to sleep now so he dumps the cereal in the trash and puts the mile back in the fridge. Then, he heads out onto their small balcony attached to their living room to go think. It’s cold outside and he’s only wearing a thin t-shirt, but he could care less. 

Jungwoo plants himself on the cool ground, brings his knees up to his chest, and stares up at the sky. He lets the night air flow through his hair as he scans the stars in the sky. It’s beautiful, and he wants to smile, but he doesn’t feel happy. If he’s being honest, he hasn’t felt happy in a while. Tonight wasn’t the only time he’d cried in the shower and tonight wasn’t the only time he’d felt bad about himself. He knows the others are just looking out for him and that they’re stressed too, but he wishes they would just phrase it differently or say it a little less harshly because it’s hurting him. What sucks even more is the fact that he knows he can’t confront them about it. He’s not brave enough to say anything and he’s afraid that he’s just going to have to suffer or bottle everything up which has never ended well. He wants to tell them all the next day what he’s been feeling, but he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to.

It’s times like these that Jungwoo really resents being more sensitive than others. Taeyong and the others have told him that he can go to them with anything and that it’s ok to be emotional, but right now he’s not so sure that it’s true.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Jungwoo is thrown into consciousness when he suddenly registers that he’s being roughly shaken. Disoriented, Jungwoo opens his eyes and looks around groggily.

“W-what?”

“Jungwoo-ah! What were you thinking! It’s freezing out here!”  
  
The vocalist is suddenly being hauled to his feet and pulled along. He finally acknowledges that it’s Johnny who’s holding on to him and suddenly he’s encased in warmth. That’s when it hits him, he fell asleep outside the balcony. He didn’t mean to. The only thing he remembers is looking up at the sky while he was having his pity party. Johnny leads Jungwoo over to the sofa and then pushes him down before leaving the room with a “stay here.”

He returns a moment later with one of Jungwoo’s hoodies and a comforter. He waits for Jungwoo to pull on the hoodie before draping the comforter over him and then taking a seat next to the younger one on the sofa.

“Why were you sleeping outside?” Johnny asks slowly.

“I didn’t mean to. I just couldn’t sleep last night and I didn’t want to wake Jaehyun-hyung up so I went outside to think a little. I was going to come back in and sleep on the sofa but I guess I just drifted off out there,” Jungwoo explains. He leaves out the part about his and Taeil’s conversation. 

Johnny sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Then he reaches over to put a hand on Jungwoo’s thigh.

“Next time, please come find one of us or at least stay inside. I almost had a heart attack when I saw you outside knocked out in nothing but thin clothes. You were so cold when I tried to wake you up, it was terrifying.” 

Jungwoo looks down at the carpet. He can’t bear to look his hyung in the eyes. He feels extremely guilty now. 

“I’m sorry hyung.”

“It’s ok. Just don’t do it again. Now let’s get you warmed up so you don’t catch a cold or something.” 

The rapper gets up to go make them some tea to drink and Jungwoo draws the comforter in closer around his body. His body starts to tingle as it becomes warmer and he’s glad that Johnny is the only other one who’s up right now. If it was Taeyong or Taeil that found him, he doesn’t know what he would have done. 

As Johnny makes his way back to Jungwoo with hot tea, he nearly runs into Jaehyun as he suddenly emerges from the hallway. The dancer startles when he sees Johnny and Jungwoo watches as Johnny says something brief to the other before walking past him. Jaehyun’s eyes flicker over to Jungwoo and the vocalist quickly averts his eyes. He doesn’t want Jaehyun’s pity or another lecture. Unfortunately, he misses the rapper’s guilty and worried expression because he refuses to look over.

Johnny hands Jungwoo the tea and then sits beside him again as he waits for Jungwoo to drink. The brunette is tense because he can hear Jaehyun and the other members starting to get up and move around the room. He’s anxious because he doesn’t know if he’s going to get grilled and he definitely doesn’t want to answer any questions right now. He appreciates Johnny looking out for him, but him sitting right next to Jungwoo just makes him feel caged in between his hyung and the other members. He doesn’t have an escape route and it’s starting to freak him out. When Taeyong starts to approach them Jungwoo feels his heart start to race but he tries to keep his expression neutral. The leader sits down on Jungwoo’s other side wordlessly but Jungwoo can tell he wants to ask questions.

“Is everything ok?” The leader starts after a few minutes.

It’s on the tip of his tongue. He wants to tell Taeyong everything he’s been feeling, but he ends up saying something lame instead.

“I’m just cold.”

  
  
Jungwoo internally curses. _Why can’t he tell his hyung what’s wrong_!? His heart is racing and his chest feels tight with anxiety, he feels like he usually does right before a performance, excessively nervous. Talking to his hyungs has never been hard, but for some reason, he can’t seem to do it now. Taeyong suddenly leans forward to get a better view of Jungwoo’s face and frowns. Jungwoo is thrown back to last night and the look of disappointment the leader had given him and he winces slightly. Taeyong does notice that.

“Are you feeling ok?” The older rephrases his previous question.

Jungwoo opens his mouth to say something but Johnny cuts him off by finally chiming in.

“I found him outside on the balcony this morning by himself.”

“What?”

  
  
Taeyong looks at him and Jungwoo looks away guiltily.

“What were you doing?”

  
  
Jungwoo wrings his hands together and refuses to move his gaze from the floor.

“I couldn’t sleep. I needed space to think.”

“Jungwoo, it’s freezing outside. You might get sick now. You’ve got to take better care of yourself. What were you thinking?” Taeyong lectures worriedly.

He notices that the younger has curled in slightly on himself, probably embarrassed, but he needs to hear this. Taeyong doesn’t like scolding his any of his dongsaeng, but sometimes he needs to be a little more direct with them in order for them to get it. Jungwoo’s usually so well behaved and knows how to take care of himself, but lately, it seems like he’s been more distant. The leader doesn’t want to push Jungwoo too much because he knows he’s more sensitive, but it’s starting to become a problem if the younger is neglecting his health.

“I’m sorry,” the younger whispers. 

“What were you thinking about last night?”

Jungwoo starts squirming uncomfortably and Taeyong narrows his eyes at the behavior. He’s acting like he’s done something wrong and the leader isn’t sure what to think now. _Did he do something bad? What happened?_ Jungwoo is the last person he expected to be getting in trouble today. When the younger doesn’t respond, Taeyong tries asking it a different way.

“Did something happen?”

“No,” the other responds too quickly. 

Both Johnny and Taeyong give him a skeptical look. Jungwoo starts to stumble over his words as he scrambles to come up with an answer that makes some sense.

“I-it’s really not a big deal. I was just getting a midnight snack like usual and uh Taeil-hyung also happened to be up and we just um talked?”

The brunette doesn’t think he can admit fully what he’s really feeling, but he can speak a little bit about what happened the other day.

“What did you talk about?” The leader asks suspiciously. 

Jungwoo really doesn’t want to answer that, but he doesn’t want to talk about the events of the past few weeks even more so he confesses a little.

“It was just about me being too loud when I sneak into the kitchen to eat at night,” Jungwoo ends up saying. It’s not really the truth, but their conversation was about eating at night so it’s close enough. 

His hyungs are silent and Jungwoo can tell that they aren’t buying it completely, but they end up letting it go.

“Ok, just make sure you talk things out with Taeil-hyung ok? We don’t want you guys dragging out a fight for too long when it can be resolved fairly easily.”

Jungwoo just nods and then Taeyong rises to go deal with the members making breakfast in the kitchen. Johnny pats his leg sympathetically and then also gets up to leave. Jungwoo can already tell that today is going to be a long day. It’s game night tonight though with all the other units which means all the members will be gathered together. If he’s going to address his issue, tonight is the time, even if he is terrified. He’s already dreading it, but he can’t keep going like this. He’ll say what he needs to tonight, for sure.


	2. Chapter 2

Fortunately, the only thing all the members have on their schedules today is dance practice, which is why they hold occasional game nights on Tuesday. Unfortunately, it means that the choreographers and other staff are harder on them and that also means that the members are more uptight with the additional pressure. 

Practice is brutal. Jungwoo isn’t sure if it’s the lack of food he’s had or if he’s actually getting sick like Taeyong said, but he can’t seem to get his body to move correctly. He didn’t eat enough at dinner and he didn’t have his usual midnight snack, then he skipped breakfast after Taeyong and Johnny left because he just needed some space, so it would make sense. His body feels heavy and he’s sweating less than usual even though he’s working just as hard, so he’s probably dehydrated. He keeps tripping over minor steps which earns him constant berating from the staff and occasionally some of the other members. 

The six-hour practice feels like an eon and it doesn’t help that he keeps messing up. The session is usually long, but it’s even worse having to endure the time plus someone snapping at him every couple of minutes. He’s probably exaggerating, but it definitely feels like it. He feels like he’s being singled out and he’s gone from wanting to cry from getting his feelings crushed to wanting to cry out of pure frustration and anger. He spends the rest of the practice internalizing his anger and remaining stony to make it seem like he’s just void of emotion. It’s better than letting anyone know how affected he really is. Even Yuta, who’s usually really gentle with him, steps in to tell Jungwoo to focus more.

The staff even held him back after practice was done to make him go through the moves he missed. Donghyuk, Mark, and Doyoung had given him worried looks but he had ignored them. The other members left and Jungwoo was left at the mercy of their harsh choreographer for another two and a half hours. He’s exhausted and angry again when he finally finishes practicing and ends up taking the scenic route back to the dorm again because he needs to let off a lot of steam. He’s still upset when he gets back to the dorm and just wants to be left alone, but the dorm is full of all the NCT members because it’s game night. He sighs tiredly as he slumps against the front door and spies all 17 of the members gathered in the living room. He doesn’t want to do this right now. 

His body is shaking from exhaustion and he knows he won’t be able to address the issue he’s been having without snapping at all of them in this state. He’ll just have to tell them another time. His main goal right now though is to try and slip past all of the members so he can shower and hopefully just be alone. It doesn’t work.

He makes it as far as the kitchen counter before one of the maknaes sees him and then all the attention is on Jungwoo and trying to get him to join. He tries to decline nicely but the maknaes aren’t having it and even some of his hyungs gang up on him. Jungwoo sighs defeatedly and ends up plopping down in the empty space between Lucas and Doyoung who are on the outer part of the giant circle.

“Come on hyung don’t look so put out!” Donghyuk yells. “This is going to be fun!”

“Alright,” Jungwoo sighs. “What are we playing?”

“Mafia!”

Jungwoo, as well as multiple other members, groan.

“But we already play that a lot for vlives and other stuff,” Jisung protests from his side of the circle.

“That’s not the point Jisungie,” Donghyuk scolds lightly. “The game is fun and we’ve rarely done it with all 18 of us.” 

The maknae rolls his eyes and Chenle just laughs loudly next to him.

“Ok let’s start! I’ll be the narrator! Everyone close your eyes so I can pick people.”

Jungwoo really isn’t in the mood to play games, much less mafia, but he complies anyway. He doesn’t want to ruin anyone’s fun. He hears Donghyuk padding around the giant circle picking all the players and internally whines. This game is going to take forever if this many of them are playing. He’ll just have to suck it up. 

Each subunit is loud whenever they play this game by themselves, so all of them playing it together turns it into a madhouse. There’s a lot of yelling, accusations, laughing, and people clapping or slapping various surfaces. It’s starting to hurt Jungwoo’s head a little bit but he doesn’t say anything. They’ve been playing for an hour and half now and the vocalist is exhausted. Everything aches but at least he doesn’t feel angry anymore. He hopes the game ends soon. There only a handful of them left so it should be over relatively soon. Jungwoo is one of the last players left and he has an idea of who the mafia is. He’s not one, but of course, it’s not going to be easy to convince the others. 

  
“Alright, citizens wake up,” Donghyuk commands. 

The remaining seven members all open their eyes. There’s a beat of silence before Ten jumps in with a suspicious grin. He looks directly at Jungwoo and then proceeds to accuse him of being the mafia.

“I think Jungwoo’s the mafia,” Ten says nonchalantly. 

The vocalist keeps his expression neutral and raises an eyebrow at his hyung.

“I don’t know why you think that. I’m just an innocent citizen!”

  
  
He bats his eyelashes at Ten and gives him what he hopes is a cute pout. The dancer gives him a disgusted look and everyone laughs.

“Come on Jungwoo! You can do better than that! Your aegyo is usually much stronger, step it up!” Yuta teases. 

“Yeah, I also think Jungwoo’s the mafia. His aegyo was kinda weak so I think he’s hiding something,” Jaehyun agrees.

“What does my aegyo have to do with being a mafia?” Jungwoo defends.

“You did it differently and you’re also being rather defensive,” Lucas pipes in from next to Jungwoo.

The brunette looks at his friend, slightly offended but mostly feeling betrayed. He gives his best sad puppy dog eyes to the other boy and watches as Lucas’s eyes go wide and he pouts back.

“Hyung, please don’t look at me like that!”

“Don’t fall for it Lucas!” Ten yells. “He’s the enemy!”

“Lucas~,” Jungwoo sings. “How could you ever believe that I’m the mafia? If anything, Ten hyung’s probably the mafia because he’s attacking me so hard!”

The rapper’s gaze flickers between the boy next to him and Ten who’s sitting across from them in the circle. Suddenly, other members start throwing in their opinions and Jungwoo finds himself being ganged up on again. Jaehyun decides to pitch the idea that Jungwoo is definitely the mafia this time because he wasn’t the last few rounds so he has to be it this time. Jungwoo tries to defend himself, but it’s futile. Multiple members are also suspicious of him and Jungwoo’s defense isn’t enough to sway them which ends up pretty much sealing his fate. None of them believe him and even though he knows it’s just a game, it still hurts. Even Lucas didn’t believe him.

When Donghyuk finally asks them to make a decision, it’s unanimous. The remaining members vote to kill him and Jungwoo says nothing, even after Donghyuk reveals that he was indeed just an innocent citizen. Jungwoo is too upset to even be consoled by the guilty look Ten shoots him or Lucas’s arm on his shoulder. Lucas squeezes his shoulder gently and tries to get Jungwoo to look at him, but the vocalist keeps trying to avert his gaze.

  
“Hyung!” Lucas whines. “I’m sorry! I didn’t really think it was you!” 

His dongsaeng latches onto him and attempts to gain his forgiveness through cuddles, however, Jungwoo is not in the mood for it. In fact, he’s kind of angry at his friend and the other members even though it’s kind of irrational to be so. Jungwoo pries Lucas off him and doesn’t miss the sad look the other gives him while he does. Jungwoo is known for loving cuddles and being one of the more affectionate members, so he knows shoving Lucas off him probably hurt his friend since he’s usually so receptive to touch. 

The rapper responds by huffing frustratedly and muttering something under his breath. Normally Jungwoo wouldn’t care, he’s usually the most laid back one, but he’s in a really bad mood now so he whips his head around to glare at the younger male. 

“What did you say?” He whispers harshly.

Lucas doesn’t look at him, he’s too absorbed watching the others accuse someone else, but he does repeat himself so only Jungwoo can hear. 

“I said, you don’t have to be so sensitive! Just because you lost doesn’t mean you have to take it out on me,” Lucas bites back.

Jungwoo freezes. He knows he’s sensitive, but it hurts to hear someone say it to his face, especially someone he’s close to. The members are the only ones who have never insulted him for being too sensitive, and he never thought they would, that’s why it kills him to hear Lucas admit it. The other is usually so gentle with him and they’ve been close for a long time. Lucas was the last person he would expect to throw his insecurity back in his face. Jungwoo’s torn between lashing out in anger or crying his heart out, but his body ends up deciding for him. He feels hot tears trailing down his cheeks before he even registers that he wants to cry. 

Lucas seems to finally be curious enough by Jungwoo’s silence that he chances a look at him and startles when he realizes the other is crying. He immediately reaches out to try and comfort the vocalist but Jungwoo abruptly stands up, causing all the heads that weren’t already looking to focus on him.

“Woo-,” Lucas starts, grabbing onto his pant leg.

Jungwoo sniffles as he slips out of Lucas’s grasp and backs away from the circle.

“I just want to be alone,” he directs at Lucas, but he knows most of them have heard it.

He takes off down the hallway and locks himself in his shared room before turning off the lights and burying himself under the covers. He hugs his pillow close to his chest as he tries to muffle his sobs and holding something helps ground him. Now that he’s started crying he can’t stop. The tears won’t stop flowing and it doesn’t help that his mind has chosen now to remind him of all the things he’s done wrong recently. His heart feels like it’s being stabbed each time he remembers being scolded or one of the members being disappointed in him. He’s disappointed in himself too. 

Jungwoo remains curled up for a long time. His sobs have quieted, but he’s still quietly crying. He cries for all the hurtful things that have been said to him, he cries out of frustration, he cries out of a deep sadness for himself for not being able to do anything about this problem. He can’t hear any of the members speaking but he knows they’re talking about him, they’re probably just whispering. He’s anxious about what they might be saying, but another part of him also doesn’t care and doesn’t want to know. Jungwoo ends up drifting off to sleep eventually, and it’s a testament to how tired he is that his mind doesn’t even have any negative memories to plague him with. His mind is completely blank.

When he opens his eyes again, they feel swollen and slightly painful, but that’s to be expected since he did bawl his eyes out earlier. His throat is also kind of sore, but that makes sense too since he spent a while muffling his sobs and broken cries. The lights are still off, but it's darker now because it’s later at night and the moonlight shining through their window isn’t exactly the brightest. Jungwoo stretches his legs out and carefully sits up. He stares at the door and tries to focus on the sounds beyond it. He can hear the shower running and other members opening drawers and closets in the other rooms. They’re getting ready for bed which means that it must be later than he thought and that he missed dinner. The other members are probably gone too. He’s going to have to sneak out again and just hope that no one is up again tonight.

If the other members are getting ready for bed then that means Jaehyun probably needs access to their room again. Jungwoo isn’t selfish enough to just kick his hyung out of his room because he’s upset so he puts his pillow down and goes to unlock the door. It unlocks with a small click and Jungwoo pauses.  _ Should he risk going out?  _ He is pretty hungry and he didn’t really eat a lot yesterday so maybe he should. He might not make it to midnight without his stomach growling or him getting super desperate to eat. On the other hand, waiting until later might be worth it because it would mean a lower chance of having to talk to one of the members. He doesn’t even know what he would say. He eventually decides on cracking the door open to see who’s up and about before choosing to emerge or not.

When he opens the door up slightly, it hits something and Jungwoo peers around the wood to see what’s blocking it. His eyes widen in surprise when he realizes that it’s a plate of food. There’s a note under it and Jungwoo quickly bends down and reads that first before even touching the plate. It’s from Doyoung. The note tells Jungwoo to please eat, which is so Doyoung, and it also says that Jungwoo can talk to him anytime and to get some rest before their busy day tomorrow. Despite everything that’s happened, Jungwoo feels his heart swell at the sweet gesture. Doyoung didn’t mention anything about the incident, probably because he knew Jungwoo wouldn’t want to be thinking about it right now, he just made sure that Jungwoo was fed and wished that he would get rest. It's Doyoung's typical nagging but sweeter and Jungwoo can tell that he’s just worried. He smiles sadly because he knows he’s going to have to address the issue soon, but he’s not sure if he’s ready. Jungwoo picks up the plate of food, and the note and brings it back into the room with him. 

He goes to sit at the only desk in their room and finish his dinner hopefully before Jaehyun gets back. He is not in the mood for talking. Jungwoo eats everything as fast as he can without making himself sick or spilling anything because he didn’t bother to turn on the light, and then he shoves the plate to the corner of the desk for him to bring back to the kitchen tomorrow. He puts Doyoung’s note in the top drawer and then pulls out his pajamas from the closet to get ready for bed. For once, luck is on his side and Jungwoo successfully changes and is in bed by the time Jaehyun finally arrives. 

He’s facing the wall and pretending to be asleep when he hears a faint knock on the door. Jungwoo doesn’t get up because he wants Jaehyun to assume he’s asleep. There’s a long pause and then Jungwoo hears Jaehyun test the doorknob. He hears the singer’s noise of surprise before the door is slowly being opened and then the older boy slips inside. Jaehyun closes the door behind him softly and then quietly walks over to their shared closet. He pulls his pajamas off the hanger as slowly as he can but it still makes a sound, and Jungwoo smiles to himself. He can tell his hyung is trying to be as quiet as he can for him, and it’s kind of endearing. Once Jaehyun finishes changing, Jungwoo hears more rustling as the other adjusts himself in bed. The noise stops after a few more moments of shuffling blankets around and then the room is silent again.

Jungwoo continues to stare at the wall as his mind starts to wander again.  _ What is he going to do tomorrow? How is he supposed to face everyone after that outburst?  _ They’ll surely ask questions and Jungwoo isn’t sure if he’ll be able to hold it together. He has to talk to them some time so it might not be a bad thing if they talk about it, but what if they get angry?  _ What if they call him too sensitive again for getting so upset about every little thing. If he tells them that they’re partially at fault for how bad he’s been feeling lately will they take it well? _ A billion things race through Jungwoo’s mind and he can already feel his anxiety starting to build. 

He needs to calm down. They’ve got a big day tomorrow and he needs rest. He can worry again later. They’ve got a long day of practice and travel ahead of them the next day. All of NCT is performing at some event a couple of hours away from Seoul on Thursday which means Wednesday is just practice and traveling. It’s not too bad, but Jungwoo’s afraid of being trapped in the van with everyone for so long after having practiced with them. He won’t be able to escape, but he can think of excuses later.

Jungwoo finally closes his eyes and focuses on evening and deepening his breathing. He pictures the beautiful night sky he had witnessed the other day and finds himself calming down. Every time his brain starts to worry about the events of the day or tomorrow, he shuts it down and tries to make his brain blank. It takes a while, but eventually, Jungwoo finds himself getting tired again and his brain is no longer in hyperdrive. With his mind blank, the vocalist finally feels himself fully relax and lets sleep take over.

  
  
  
  


* * *

To say that Jungwoo felt under the weather would be an understatement. He wakes up feeling like a furnace, every limb aching, and throat sore. His throat isn’t too painful yet, he can probably solve that with a hot drink, but what he might not be able to solve is the nausea. He can’t tell if it’s because he’s actually sick now or if it’s just the type of nauseous he gets when he’s really anxious. It’s too similar to tell. All he knows is that he feels like crap and that he’s going to have to just suck it up. There’s absolutely no way that he’s missing practice and letting everyone down again. He has to perform at the event Thursday and he can’t do that if he fails at their dances.

Jungwoo throws the covers off of him and brushes his sweaty bangs out of his face. He lies still for a few long moments, waiting for the nausea to subside, before slowly sitting up. He looks over to the right and sees that Jaehyun is still asleep. He has no idea what time it is, but he can hear some people talking and rummaging around in the kitchen so it must not be too early. Jungwoo carefully grabs some clothes and makes his way to the bathroom. He manages to not run into anyone yet which is good because he knows he probably looks like crap. The second he sees himself in the mirror he sighs.

His brown hair is a horrible tangled mess, his face is flushed, and his eyes are still slightly swollen from the other day. Just seeing the state he’s in brings back the painful memories from yesterday. He thought he didn’t have any tears left to shed, but apparently he was wrong. He can see his vision become blurry and quickly leans over the sink to splash water on his face. It can’t look like he’s been crying and he definitely can’t look like he’s sick. Jungwoo spends a good fifteen minutes trying to freshen himself up and look less like death. By the time he’s done, he looks relatively normal, but he still feels crappy.

His hair is back to it’s usual soft, fluffy style and he made sure to put on some makeup to counter his pink flush. Jungwoo takes one last look at himself before nodding and then changing into a thin, black t-shirt and jeans. He looks pretty ok so that should pass, everything is ok. As long as he believes that then it’ll be ok. 

Jungwoo emerges from the bathroom, closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath. He needs to prepare himself for talking and interacting with the other members. It’s obviously going to be awkward, but the goal is to just act like he’s ok. Jungwoo can feel his stomach tighten in anxiety and tries to squash the feeling. It’s just making the nausea worse. Jungwoo takes another calming breath before opening his eyes and making his way down the hallway towards the kitchen. 

He spies Donghyuk, Mark, and Taeyong fixing themselves breakfast in the kitchen and Yuta, Johnny, and Taeil sitting at their large dining table. Jungwoo feels himself start to freeze up when he finally emerges into the open space. He feels too vulnerable. He’s about to turn around and go hide in the bathroom to calm down when he feels a light hand on his shoulder. He jerks back in surprise but instantly calms down when he realizes that it’s Doyoung. His hyung gives him an apologetic smile before reaching down to grab Jungwoo’s hand and pull him along.

“Come on, let’s eat!”

  
  
Jungwoo’s never been more grateful for Doyoung in his life. If he’s with him then the others are less likely to approach him with questions. Doyoung silently makes them both cereal without ever letting go of Jungwoo’s hand and the vocalist lets a bittersweet smile make its way onto his face. Seeing the cereal reminds him of his confrontation with Taeil. Doyoung grabs one bowl and has Jungwoo take the other before guiding them over to the large dining table to eat with the others. They sit across from Yuta, Johnny, and Taeil, and Jungwoo isn’t sure whether to be happy or not. The members are talking amongst themselves so there isn’t an awkward silence, but Jungwoo catches all of them, including the members in the kitchen all staring at him at some point. He can practically feel their worried gazes burning a hole in him, but he doesn’t know how to break the ice.

Eventually, Donghyuk, Mark, and Taeyong join them at the table. Doyoung had made sure that Jungwoo sat on the end so that he wouldn’t have to sit next to any of the others yet. He could tell that the younger was pretty anxious and didn’t want to trap him at the table which is why he had Jungwoo sit on the end. The remaining members get up a few minutes later and the sounds of their normal morning routine help ground Jungwoo a little bit. He can hear the shower running, members shuffling through their closet, and the quiet conversations that the members at the table are having. It looks relatively normal, but Jungwoo and the rest of them know that it’s really not. They have to address the elephant in the room at some point.

Jungwoo eats his cereal at a snail’s pace which is unusual for him because he usually scarfs down food. He eats quickly and often so the others immediately notice the change, but they don’t voice it out loud. Everything proceeds relatively normally until it’s time for them all to leave for practice. Taeyong tells them all to get their bags and everything they need for Thursday since they will be staying at a hotel later after the drive. Jungwoo feels himself slightly panic when Doyoung gets up and he looks at his hyung with wide, scared eyes. 

“It’s ok! I’ll be right back! We’ve just got to get our stuff and then I’ll be right back,” the older boy soothes.

“Ok.”

Jungwoo follows Doyoung to the kitchen where they quickly wash their bowls and then head down the hallway to their respective rooms. They part at Jungwoo’s room since his is the closest and the vocalist slips inside to pack since he didn’t yesterday. Jaehyun also happens to be in the room shoving some last-minute stuff into a duffle bag when he enters. The older pauses and looks directly at Jungwoo. The two of them just stare at each other for a few seconds before Jaehyun awkwardly coughs and Jungwoo walks over to their closet to grab some clothes and his own bag. 

Jaehyun doesn’t say anything the entire time Jungwoo folds his clothes and places some other things into his backpack. He doesn’t say anything when he’s finally finished packing and Jungwoo is still tossing a few things into his own bag. It’s when Jungwoo finishes zipping his backpack and moves to go get the plate on the desk from last night that Jaehyun finally speaks up. 

“Jungwoo-ah.”

The younger boy turns around. He’s met with Jaehyun’s worried gaze mixed with another emotion he can’t decipher. 

“Yeah?” He responds hesitantly.   


  
“Listen, I’m sorry for snapping at you the other night. I didn’t mean for it to come off so aggressive and I was just really tired. I’m sorry.”

Jungwoo blinks in surprise. He wasn’t really expecting an apology. He was actually expecting to get grilled so he’s pleasantly surprised. 

“Thanks, hyung. I don’t really think you need to apologize-,” the shorter boy starts.

“No, I do. I know I was being too harsh and I know you’re more attentive to the way we say things but I still let it slip and I’m sorry.”

  
  
“That was a very nice way of putting it hyung, but you can just say it. I know I’m sensitive. Also, I forgive you I’m not that mad.” 

Even admitting he’s sensitive himself still stings slightly, but it’s true so Jungwoo might as well just accept it. Jaehyun frowns at him and steps forward so he can lightly grab onto Jungwoo’s arms.

“Jungwoo. Being sensitive isn’t a bad thing, I didn’t mean to hurt you by saying that, I just wanted to let you know that I’m aware and it’s ok. I’m sure that most of the other members also know and it’s fine with us.”

“Then why…” Jungwoo quickly cuts himself off before he can finish that thought, but it’s too late. 

“Why what?”

  
  
“It’s nothing.”

Jaehyun hums and suddenly moves his arms to wrap Jungwoo in a hug. 

“You don’t have to tell me, but I just want you to know that you’re fine just the way you are and you can talk to us.”

Jungwoo feels tears start to pool in his eyes and he rapidly blinks to try and keep them at bay. He ends up hugging Jaehyun back and curling his hands into the fabric of the other boy’s hoodie. Feeling the cloth in his hands is both comforting and grounding. Jungwoo is the one who eventually breaks the hug and he decides he should tell someone what he’s been feeling and Jaehyun feels safe. Jungwoo heads back over to his bed and plops down beside his backpack. Jaehyun slowly walks over and takes a seat next to him. He reaches over and tenderly wipes some of the stray tears that spill from Jungwoo's eyes as he patiently waits for the younger to calm down. Jungwoo is about to talk when Doyoung suddenly pauses at their door frame. He gives them both a surprised look before apologizing.

“Sorry! Jungwoo, I’ll meet you in the car,” the singer smiles easily.

“Wait hyung!”

  
  
Jungwoo relocates his backpack to the floor and pats the space next to him. 

“Do you have some time?” He asks.

“Yeah. Donghyuk and Mark are still packing so that will be at least another fifteen minutes before we can leave,” Doyoung explains. He crosses the room and sets his own bag down before sitting next to Jungwoo. His expression is worried when he realizes that Jungwoo has been crying, but his tone is nice and calming.

“What’s up?”

“I meant to address this the other day at game night since everyone was together, but then you guys know what happened and yeah I didn’t end up getting to say anything. Anyway, I know I’m sensitive and you guys have never taken the teasing about it too far. And usually, I’m ok with jokes and stuff like that, but lately some of the stuff that’s been said to me really hurts. I think it may be because everyone is stressed but sometimes the tone is too harsh and it’s been getting to me on top of other stuff at practice,” Jungwoo explains.

He can feel his heartbeat pulsing throughout his body due to how nervous he is, but at least he managed to get it out. He feels both Doyoung and Jaehyun scoot in closer and try to provide some physical comfort. Doyoung speaks up first.

“Woo, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize we were hurting you. Yes, it's true that we’ve been stressed, but that is not an excuse to ignore your feelings. I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier. Thank you for telling us though, and never be afraid to tell us stuff like this, we want to know if we’re hurting you so we can stop it because that’s the last thing we want to do.”

“But what if you get mad? I don’t want to offend anyone.”

  
  
“You won’t offend anyone. And if we do get mad, just be direct and tell us that we’re hurting you, that will get any of the members to listen. Doyoung-hyung’s right. The last thing we want to do is hurt each other, and it’s important that we know how to care for each other. Everyone’s different, and the only way we’ll know how to help one another is if we talk about what we all need. For you, it’s just being more conscious about what we’re saying and how we’re saying it. There’s nothing to be ashamed about,” Jaehyun says encouragingly. 

“He’s right you know,” someone suddenly jumps in.

The three of them quickly look toward the door to see Taeyong smiling fondly at him. Jungwoo tenses up slightly, but Doyoung grabs his hand and starts running comforting strokes over the back of it with his thumb. Taeyong makes his way over to the trio and crouches in front of Jungwoo. He places a hand on the vocalist’s right knee and rubs gently.

“Doyoung and Jaehyung are right. I’m sorry for eavesdropping. I was on my way to try and get the maknaes to hurry up and I heard you guys talking.”

  
  
“It’s ok,” Jungwoo replies quickly. It really is fine, because now that’s one less person he has to repeat this to.

“Jungwoo I’m sorry I scolded you the other day so harshly. I was worried but I didn’t do a good job of showing it. And I’m sorry I haven’t been paying enough attention to you. I know this has been happening for a while but I wasn’t sure how to address it and I shouldn’t have let it go on so long. I’ve noticed that you’ve been more withdrawn and that it happens when one of us snaps at you. I just didn't’ think to intervene until yesterday when things got out of hand and it was too late. Hyung is sorry,” The leader apologizes sincerely.

Jungwoo gives Taeyong a shaky smile because now he’s all emotional, but in a good way, before he makes grabby hands at the other boy. Taeyong quickly complies and stands up slightly to give Jungwoo a hug. He pets his head fondly and Doyoung and Jaehyun also lean in to be a part of the small cuddle session. They stay like that until there’s a sudden commotion in the other room and Taeyong sighs as he breaks the hug.

“I guess I need to go deal with that huh.”

Doyoung nods.

“I’ll help you if you want.”

  
  
“No, it’s ok. I think I know what this is about, and I’ll just go get Johnny to help me put them in line.”

They all laugh and the leader ruffles Jungwoo’s hair affectionately, smiling at the younger's wide, doe eyes, before leaving the room.

“Are you ok?” Doyoung asks as he turns his attention back to the younger boy.

“Yeah. I feel a lot better!” Jungwoo smiles. 

“Good.”

  
  
Jungwoo lets himself fall back onto the sheets and closes his eyes. Jaehyun’s deep laugh reaches his ears a moment later.

“That tired?”

“Kind of, but I know it’s going to be another few minutes while Taeyong-hyung and Johnny-hyung sort out the maknaes so I might as well get some sleep.”

“Ok, that’s fair.”

He feels both Doyoung and Jaehyun also lean back to lie next to him and wastes no time in making himself comfortable. He’s back to his affectionate self and wrapping himself around both his hyungs, not that they mind. For the first time in weeks, he feels lighter and a lot happier. A weight has been lifted off his chest and Jungwoo knows that he’ll be able to talk to the other members now. Hearing Doyoung and Jaehyun’s advice really helped and now he knows how to talk to the others. He decides that even though it will take more work, he would rather tell them all individually about how he’s been feeling lately because it just feels more genuine and he thinks it will be more effective. With that plan in mind and two amazing hyungs on each side, Jungwoo lets himself relax and be content for the first time in a while. He doesn’t have to pretend it’s going to be ok now because he knows it will be.


	3. Chapter 3

Practice was long like they all expected, but the energy and atmosphere was the lightest it had been in a while. All the members were excited about the performance on Thursday and everyone seemed to be more focused than usual. Jungwoo could feel the difference and he saw and heard it in how everyone interacted. All 18 of them were laser-focused while practicing and during breaks, there was always an interesting conversation happening and a lot of laughs. Jungwoo didn’t even get scolded the entire time. Things were looking up and he found himself actually having a lot of fun with everyone. The six hours were definitely long, but he got to spend them with an amazing group so it was completely worth it.

Even though there’s still an awkward air between him and certain members, Jungwoo knows he can solve it and the tension isn’t heavy at all. Nothing’s perfect, but that’s ok because Jungwoo knows that it’s fixable and has confidence that it is which is enough for now. Talking with Taeyong, Doyoung, and Jaehyun helped a lot and it took the edge off his anxiety. The only thing that’s mildly worrying now is how exhausted and hot he feels. He’s not sure if it’s from practice, playing tag with the dreamies during breaks, if he’s sick, or a combination of all of the above, but he feels like he’s about to collapse. 

Practice just wrapped up and everyone is tired. They still have a three and a half-hour drive to the hotel, but at least they don’t have to record the trip on vlive or anything. They can all just sleep. Doyoung makes his way over to Jungwoo and matches his pace as the members all collect their bags and make their way to the vans. Doyoung slings and arm over his shoulder and draws Jungwoo into his side. 

“Feeling ok?”

“Yeah just tired.”

  
  
“Yeah that was a hard practice, but it was also really fun. Everyone did really well today,” the singer comments.

“That was probably the most productive practice we’ve ever had! I mean I’m exhausted but it was really good.”

Doyoung hums in agreement. They lapse into a comfortable silence as they pick seats next to each other in the first van and wait for the others to pile in. Jungwoo waits until they’re mostly settled before speaking up.

“Hey,” he whispers sleepily. Doyoung looks at him curiously. “Before I fall asleep, I just wanted to say thank you.”

  
  
“For what?” Doyoung whispers back.

“For bringing me dinner the other night after the incident and just for always being there for me. Your advice today really helped and you’ve just always been reliable. So thank you for always helping me,” Jungwoo beams.

Doyoung brings him in for a quick side hug before laughing happily.

“Anytime! Now get some sleep, you look like you’re about to pass out.”

  
  
“Ok hyung. Goodnight.”

  
  
“Goodnight!”

The singer lets Jungwoo rest his head on his shoulder while he leans his arm against the window and supports his own head. Jungwoo’s a little taller than him, but he still fits perfectly. Jungwoo doesn’t even stir when the other members noisily climb into the van and fight over the seating arrangement, it’s mostly the dreamies. Taeyong tries to get them to be quiet multiple times but it doesn’t work until at least forty minutes into the drive. After that, even the youngest members have been drained of energy and have fallen asleep. Taeyong breathes a sigh of relief once he sees Chenle and Jisung finally close their eyes. Now he can finally rest a little until they arrive at the hotel.

The entire ride after that is silent as everyone gains some much needed sleep. Getting everyone up once the vans park outside the hotel is possibly even harder than getting everyone to be quiet. At least half the members are still half asleep when they all drag themselves inside the lobby. Their manager helps Taeyong out a little by sorting everyone into rooms after obtaining the right amount of key cards. He reminds them all to keep track of them, but Taeyong knows most of them aren’t listening at this point. While their manager assigns people to different rooms, the leader looks around to do a headcount of everyone. 

When his gaze lands on Jungwoo, his lips pull into a small frown. The younger boy doesn’t look so good. He’s still sweaty even though the AC was on in the van and the other members look totally fine. He’s also leaning heavily against Doyoung and he appears to be panting slightly. Something’s wrong. He tries to make his way over to the pair, but he’s cut off when their manager beats him to it. He watches quietly as he hands Jungwoo and Doyoung two keycards. By the frown plastered on Doyoung’s face, he must have been told that he isn’t roommates with Jungwoo.

Doyoung says something but gets shut down and Taeyong feels bad for his friend. He knows Doyoung probably wants to watch over Jungwoo and mother him to death, especially with the state he’s in now but apparently their manger won’t allow it. He sees Donghyuk, who was standing nearby, pop into the conversation and Jungwoo also start to talk. The leader deduces that Donghyuk and Jungwoo must be roommates and he watches as they both turn to Doyoung and eventually negotiate something. Their manager nods curtly and then walks away and then Donghyuk and Jungwoo also leave together. Taeyong takes that moment to quickly make his way over to Doyoung. He grabs his hand lightly and the singer gives him a confused look.

“Is Jungwoo ok?” 

“You noticed too?”

  
  
“Yeah. Is he sick?”

  
  
“He says he’s feeling a little unwell but it isn’t too bad. He promised he’d take some medicine before bed. Donghyuk told me he had stuff that would help.”

  
  
“Are you doing ok?” The leader then asks.

“Me?”

  
  
“Yeah? You’ve been looking after Jungwoo a lot and I can tell that you want to be the one taking care of him.”   
  


Doyoung outright laughs at that.

“You’re right. Also, I’m doing fine! I do want to be taking care of him right now, but manager-nim said no. He already assigned me to room with Jeno and was adamant about keeping that arrangement.”

“Weird, but ok.”   


  
“I know. I think he’ll be fine though. Donghyuk promised he’d look after him and that he’d call me if they needed anything. It’ll be ok.”

“Alright. I trust your judgment. Goodnight Doyoung!”

“Goodnight!”

  
  
Doyoung waves at him before walking over to Jeno. Taeyong watches him for a second before heading back over to their manager to find out who is own roommate is. He tries to tamp down his worry for Jungwoo in the meantime because it won’t solve anything and he can’t control it. But he does take comfort in the fact that he knows Jungwoo or Donghyuk will text him if they do need anything. He’ll just have to trust them.

  
  
  
  


* * *

When Donghyuk and Jungwoo had arrived at their room, the zero liner had let Jungwoo shower first because he looked like he was about to keel over soon. The vocalist had showered, changed, finished his nighttime routine, and took medicine in record time before burying himself under the covers and promptly falling asleep. It had been pretty comical and Donghyuk had smiled a little but he was mostly worried. He had given Jungwoo one of his emergency NyQuil pills to help with his symptoms, but he was still worried. Donghyuk had also showered quickly since he was also tired but had taken a little longer conducting his usual nighttime routine. He had taken a little longer since he kept checking his phone and responding to both Taeyong’s and Doyoung’s worried texts. They were really such moms but Donghyuk knew they meant well.

Once he had finished he had turned off all the lights and carefully crawled into bed next to his hyung. He knew it was a bad idea with Jungwoo being sick, but he also knew that Jungwoo was like him and got clingy when he was ill. The two of them were also just affectionate by nature so it benefitted him as well. Donghyuk had snuggled into Jungwoo’s chest and tangled their legs together as well until he was satisfied that they were cuddling enough. Unconsciously or consciously, Jungwoo had wrapped an arm around Donghyuk to keep him in place. 

Donghyuk had drifted off to sleep shortly after that. The zero liner had gotten about a solid two hours of sleep before he had noticed frequent small movements. He hadn’t woken up at first, but then he started to feel really hot and the tremors hadn’t stopped so he had reluctantly opened his eyes. That’s when he realized that the source of the shaking was Jungwoo. Now he’s currently trying to figure out what's wrong before he enlists the help of any of the hyungs.

Donghyuk feels Jungwoo shivering violently next to him and also notices the uncomfortable heat radiating from his body. He’s so hot that he’s even making Donghyuk sweat. The 127 maknae gently untangles his limbs and detaches himself from his hyung so he can better assess the situation. He scooches back and throws the covers off of himself before sitting up. Then he reaches over with one hand and puts his palm to Jungwoo’s forehead. He’s burning and his breathing is abnormal. Donghyuk feels himself start to panic slightly as he brushes Jungwoo’s sweaty bangs back and pads to the bathroom. He wets two of the hand towels in the bathroom with cold water and goes to sit on the end of the bed. 

Donghyuk turns the bedside lamp on once he returns and apologizes quietly when he sees Jungwoo wince, he must not be entirely asleep then. Donghyuk places one towel on the brunette’s forehead and then the other one on the back of his neck. He wasn’t planning on waking Jungwoo up all the way, but when he notices that Jungwoo’s nose has started bleeding and he actually panics.

“Hyung!”   


  
Donghyuk worriedly shakes the other until he groans and fully sits up. Jungwoo blinks slowly but becomes more alert when he sees his dongsaeng rapidly pulling tissues out of the tissue box on the desk.

“What are you doing Hyukie?” He asks softly.

Donghyuk jumps a little, not expecting Jungwoo to be coherent enough to speak.

“Your nose is bleeding, like a lot. We need to stop it.”

“Oh.”

The vocalist resists the urge to touch the wetness under his nose so he doesn’t make it worse. Now that he’s thinking about it, he feels pretty horrible. He’s dizzy and cold and everything’s sore and sensitive. The sheets feel rough against his skin and his thin pajama shirt isn’t nearly enough to combat his shivering, but at least he’s not nauseous. Despite being so sensitive, Jungwoo stays still while Donghyuk holds a wad of tissues against his nose and then tells him to tilt his head back. That works for about ten seconds before Jungwoo gets super lightheaded and almost passes out. He falls forward suddenly and he would have tipped over all the way if Donghyuk hadn’t been sitting right next to him and caught him.

Donghyuk holds Jungwoo steady for a few more moments before helping Jungwoo maneuver backward to lean against the headboard. Donghyuk collects the fallen wet rags and then re-applies them once he’s sure Jungwoo is stable. Then he crawls more to the center of the bed so he can be directly in front of Jungwoo and gently grabs his face. 

  
“Hyung, I’m going to get help. Will you be ok?”

  
  
Donghyuk’s eyes are swimming with worry and panic and Jungwoo instantly feels guilty for having to put his dongsaeng through this. He nods and takes the fresh wad of tissues Donghyuk hands him a few seconds later.

“I’ll be ok!” He tries to encourage.

Donghyuk gives him what he thinks is supposed to be a smile, but he comes off as more of a grimace before grabbing the dirty tissues, throwing them in the trash, and then rushing out of the room. He hears the door shut behind the younger member a moment later and closes his eyes as he tries to cope with the dizziness. Even though his eyes are closed, it’s like the room is spinning and it’s disorienting. That combined with his shivering and sore body just makes him feel miserable, but he can’t fall asleep or pass out. There’s still a steady stream of blood flowing from his nose and it will get everywhere and look like a crime scene if he doesn’t block it.

Donghyuk can’t remember what room any of the members are in, so he just runs to the closest one next to theirs. He rapidly knocks on the door and prays that it’s any of the hyungs and not the maknaes. When no one answers at first, Donghyuk gets desperate and starts yelling and pounding on the door.

“Hyung!! Please open up! Hyung!” 

He raises his fist again and is about to bring it down when he hears a curse and then a commotion. A few seconds later he hears heavy footsteps approach the door and then it’s being thrown open. Lucas is staring back at him with frightened eyes and messy hair and Johnny is right behind him looking just as much of a mess.

“What’s wrong?” Johnny asks hurriedly.

“J-Jungwoo he’s sick and I don’t know what to do,” the zero liner babbles.

“Ok, let’s go,” the oldest commands calmly, his fatherly side coming through.

Donghyuk runs back to his room with Lucas and Johnny right on his heels. He holds the door open for them and the older two quickly rush towards the beds. Lucas spots Jungwoo slumped against the headboard, barely conscious, and freaks out. 

  
  
“Oh my God, he’s bleeding!? What’s going on!?”

“Lucas calm down!” Johnny hisses.

“It’s a bloody nose,” Donghyuk quickly tries to explain. “Don’t worry he hasn’t hurt himself!”

Johnny lightly pushes Lucas out of the way and sits on the edge of the bed in front of Jungwoo. He puts a large hand over the one Jungwoo is using to hold the tissues against his nose and squeezes gently.

“Woo? Can I see?”

  
  
The younger boy gives him a spaced-out look but nods and the rapper gently pulls Jungwoo’s hand away from his face. He puts three fingers under the vocalist’s chin and tiles his head up slightly when he realizes that the blood is still flowing out pretty steadily. Johnny takes in Jungwoo’s fierce shivering, the wet towel on his forehead, and his unfortunate bloody nose, and makes his decision. They’re going to the hospital. 

“Donghyuk. I need you to tell Taeyong that we’re taking Jungwoo to the hospital. He’s rooming with Mark at the end of the hall on the right so you can stay with him.”

  
The maknae looks like he wants to protest and argue to come with them, but then he thinks better of it once he sees Johnny’s serious gaze.

“Ok.”

  
  
Donghyuk quickly swipes his phone off of the top of the center table and starts texting the others. Jungwoo suddenly lets out a whimper of pain and Johnny immediately turns his attention back to his sick dongsaeng.

“What’s wrong?”

“Really dizzy. Looking up makes it worse,” Jungwoo grits out.

“I’m sorry baby.”

  
  
The rapper retracts his fingers from underneath Jungwoo’s chin and lets him tilt his head back down. Jungwoo slowly rips up the last few clean tissues and ends up just shoving them in his nose so that way he doesn’t have to hold them anymore and he doesn’t have to look up. Johnny waits until he’s ready before carefully grabbing Jungwoo’s left arm and bending over slightly to drape it over his shoulders. Jungwoo seems to catch on and despite being exhausted he helps maneuver himself into his hyung’s arms so that he can be carried. He’s got two arms wrapped around Johnny’s neck and wraps his legs around his hyung’s waist once he gets close enough to the edge to do so. The rapper supports him with one arm supporting his lower half and a hand on his back so the vocalist is being carried like a koala after he’s fully lifted up. Even though Jungwoo is nearly as tall as Johnny, he’s lighter and the other is strong so it works.

Johnny looks over at Lucas and then starts to talk evenly.

“Lucas you can come, but only if you want to and if you think you can stay calm,” he instructs. Donghyuk left a few minutes ago after he had sent out texts to go to Taeyong and Mark’s room so it’s only the three of them left.  The younger boy nods eagerly.

“I want to.”

  
  
“Ok. Can you find him a jacket or something? He’s shivering a lot. I also need you to get our phones just in case.”

  
  
“On it.”

Johnny makes his way out the door and waits in the hallway as Lucas grabs Jungwoo’s jacket, a few extra tissues, and then disappears into the other room briefly to get Johnny’s and his own phone, as well as their shoes. Once they have everything, the eldest speed walks to the elevator and they make the trip down to the entrance of the hotel. They’re silent the whole time, even after Lucas calls a cab for them and they struggle into the backseat. Every so often, Johnny or Lucas will ask Jungwoo a simple question just to try and keep him conscious. His answers get shorter and shorter, but he still responds. The hospital is five minutes away, but it’s the longest five minutes Lucas has ever experienced. Jungwoo isn’t in life-threatening danger, but he’s clearly sick and it hurts to see him so weak and in so much pain. He feels guilt start to claw at him as he recalls insulting the other boy the other day. He didn’t deserve it all and Lucas silently berates himself for being so harsh. He promises he’ll make amends with his friend when Jungwoo is feeling better.

When they finally pull up to the hospital, Jungwoo is no longer answering them verbally and both Johnny and Lucas fear he’s passed out. They clamber out of the cab and Lucas goes to pay when he realizes he doesn't have his wallet or Johnny’s. Fortunately, the taxi driver has mercy on them and just lets them go and the three of them rush through the automatic glass doors.

A nurse sees them come in and immediately gestures for them to follow her before Johnny or Lucas even open their mouths. The nurse leads them to the second room they pass and has Johnny lay Jungwoo down on the white bed. After that, things move so fast. Johnny and Lucas are ushered out and two nurses and a doctor flood the room. The two members can only watch as the professionals hook Jungwoo up to some machines to take his vitals and stick an IV in his pale arm. One of the nurses pulls out the bloody tissues from Jungwoo’s nose and then proceeds to try and wash his face up a little bit.

The doctor patiently tells the boys to wait outside in the waiting room and promises that she’ll come to get them when they're done. They both go to protest but the doctor gives them a reassuring smile and then reiterates that Jungwoo will be ok so they relent and go back to the lobby. Lucas is well aware that they probably look horrible right now with their ruffled clothes, tangled hair, and tired eyes, but he could care less. He’s not even worried about fans possibly seeing them because he’s too worried about Jungwoo. He just feels so guilty and the need to hold him in his arms or just be there with him physically is too great. 

Johnny plops onto one of the empty seats behind them but Lucas remains standing as he paces. He hears the sound of typing and assumes that the elder is probably texting Taeyong back since he recognizes their leader’s ringtone when he replies. A few minutes later, Johnny informs the other that Taeyong and Doyoung are on their way and Lucas finally sits down. He spreads his legs and clasps his hands together as he tries to calm down. Jungwoo is in good hands, he’s going to be just fine.

The older male doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t need to. Johnny places a comforting hand on Lucas’s back and rubs up and down a few times to let the other know that he’s there and that it’s going to be ok. The two of them sit in silence, trying to find relief in one another company when Taeyong and Doyoung arrive ten minutes later. They look just as frazzled as Johnny and Lucas do and it’s slightly funny until they’re bombarded with questions. 

“Where is he? Is Jungwoo ok? What happened? Why didn’t you call me earlier? Is it serious?”

“Whoah whoah whoah, calm down! It’s not life-threatening. He was shivering a lot and really dizzy and he had a bloody nose, but I don’t think it’s serious. The doctor said she’d come to get us when he was stable. I think it might be the flu or something. He’ll be ok,” Johnny placates the two frantic moms.

Taeyong frowns deeply and Doyoung chews on his bottom lip nervously.

“I knew he was sick. I should have fought harder to try and room with him.”

  
  
“Doie don’t blame yourself. You know manager-nim would never have let you. Once he sets his mind on something it’s almost impossible to get him to change it. Jungwoo’s going to be ok,” Taeyong comforts.

He rubs a hand up and down Doyoung’s arm and the other gives him a weak smile.

“I’ll stop worrying when I get to see him for myself.”

  
  
The others hum in agreement. Just then, the doctor comes back and approaches their small group. She doesn’t look nervous at all and that helps ease the others’ worry. 

“Jungwoo-ssi’s stable. He’s doing a lot better now that he has some fluids in him. He was severely dehydrated which explains the extreme dizziness and fatigue as well as the nosebleed. He’s also got a mild cold which is why he was shivering so much and also sweating. Has his schedule been busy lately or has he experienced an unusual amount of stress? I believe the main reason he has fallen ill is because his body is overworked.”

“We’re idols,” Taeyong explains. “Our schedules have been pretty busy lately.” He leaves out the part about Jungwoo’s issues with the members lately because they already know that that’s been stressing him out.

“Ok I see. He’s doing much better now so after an hour if he’s up to it, I can discharge him. Just come find me at the nurse’s station,” the doctor explains kindly.

The group thanks her and then she tells them that they’re free to visit him. They all make their way over back to Jungwoo’s room and are relieved to see him much more alert. He’s obviously tired, but his eyes are open and he even gives them a bright smile. Doyoung immediately claims the chair on his left side and gives the younger boy a tight hug, careful to avoid the IV in his right arm.

“Are you ok!? Taeyong scared me to death when he called me saying that Johnny and Lucas were taking you to the hospital! Don’t ever do that to me again!” The singer fusses.   
  


Jungwoo laughs at him and it’s light and cheerful despite the situation.

“I’m sorry hyung. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he looks around the room at all of them when he says that second part. “I looked much worse than I felt, sorry for being dramatic, but I’m fine now!”

  
  
Doyoung pulls back and tousles Jungwoo’s hair a little bit. He sighs exasperatedly and then returns Jungwoo’s smile before pulling back to let the others smother him. Taeyong also gives him a hug and Johnny pets his hair while telling him to never get sick again because it was terrifying to see Jungwoo like that. Lucas stares into Jungwoo’s eyes for a few seconds before giving Jungwoo a big bear hug and then starting to get all mushy because he’s a big baby, but he’s their big baby.

“Hyung I’m so so so so so sorry! I didn’t mean to insult you the other day! I didn’t mean any of it. Being sensitive is not a bad thing and I’m sorry I made you feel like it was. I love how you care about us all so much and aren’t afraid to be emotional or affectionate or playful even with the younger members! I’m just soooooo sorry and I feel horrible I should have known better and I really didn’t mean it at all. Please believe me! And now you're sick and I'm just so sorry you did not need another things to worry about,” Lucas rants wetly.

Jungwoo gives him a fond look the whole time and pushes Lucas back just enough so he can look him in the eyes once he’s done rambling.

“Xuxi,” Jungwoo starts as he wipes the other’s tears away with the pads of his thumbs. It’s a little ironic how he’s the one consoling Lucas when he’s the one in the hospital, but it’s just so Lucas-like that he doesn’t even care.

“I won’t lie to you. What you said really hurt,” he shushes his friend gently when he sees him about to cry again. “I’m not telling you this to make you feel bad, I just want you to know how I was feeling. I’ve been bottling stuff up recently and I’ve been trying to be better about communicating what I’m feeling. I know I’m sensitive but it just hurt hearing it out loud because it’s always been something I’ve been kind of insecure about so that’s why I reacted so badly. I forgive you though, and you’re not the only one who’s said stuff recently that’s hurt me. I’m working on trying to tell everyone when they’ve gone too far and what I need from you guys emotionally so don’t beat yourself up too much. Part of it’s my fault for not speaking up and addressing it earlier.”

  
  
“Hyung you don’t have to feel bad for not telling us earlier. I know it’s probably hard to say things like that and I’m sure we didn’t make it any easier. We’re here for you and you can tell us anything!” Lucas finishes boldly.

“Thanks Xuxi!” Jungwoo laughs. 

The other three members look on fondly as they watch the younger two work it out. They’re going to be just fine, and Jungwoo is going to be ok. They have faith that he’ll be able to resolve things with the remaining members he was hurt by and now they’re all going to be more attentive to him. If this experience has taught them anything, it’s that they need to be more observant, and that’s definitely going to be beneficial in the long run.

Lucas ends up sitting on the bed by Jungwoo’s feet while the five of them chat about light-hearted stuff as they wait for another hour. The vocalist expresses that he wants to go back to the hotel and ends up having to negotiate with all of them in order to go back. Taeyong and Doyoung tell Jungwoo that he’s allowed to come back on the condition that they get to sleep in the same room with him for the night just to make sure. And of course, Lucas isn’t about to miss a cuddle session with his favorite Hyung, and Johnny ends up getting roped in too, so Jungwoo earns himself four other roommates for the night, but he secretly wants it so it’s a good deal.

The doctor dischargers him after taking his vitals for the last time and wishes them all a safe journey back. By the time they all get back to Jungwoo’s room, exhaustion has hit them all and the five members don’t even attempt to try and separate themselves onto separate beds. They all pile onto the closest one and put Jungwoo safely in the middle. They all scooch in close so it’s still intimate and cozy, but they don’t get too close that they hurt Jungwoo who’s still recovering.

“Hey Woo,” Doyoung yawns sleepily.

“Yeah?”

“You’ll tell us if you need anything right?”

  
  
Jungwoo nods his head from where it's resting on Doyoung’s chest and takes comfort in his hyung’s steady breaths.

“I will,” Jungwoo whispers back, and he knows that what Doyoung meant is a lot more than that simple statement. 

And Jungwoo also knows that his answer is genuine. He knows for sure that he can rely on his members with anything, even with something as fragile as his heart. Even though it did hurt to have his feelings get broken lately, Jungwoo supposes that it wasn’t such a bad thing. In the end, he learned that his hyungs and really all of NCT care about him and that he doesn’t need to be ashamed about being sensitive. He now has the confidence to tell his hyungs what he needs and when they do cross the line so something good did come out of the experience. Maybe being sensitive really isn’t so bad, especially when he has an amazing family to support him.

  
  


**Bonus** :

Jungwoo eventually got around to telling all the members, including the dream members, about him being sensitive and what he needed from them. It wasn’t an easy task, and it certainly wasn’t short either, but it was worth it. Telling the members that he was sensitive was liberating in a way because Jungwoo felt like he was finally accepting himself and he felt like he was being better understood in return. 

His conversation with Taeil was probably the hardest, but it was well worth it. He had been extremely nervous confronting Taeil about their previous conversation about him eating because it brought up some other insecurities, but it actually went pretty smoothly. Once Jungwoo had told his hyung that he was in fact hurt by his words, that opened up a deeper conversation and the vocalist ended up learning a lot about Taeil that he didn’t know before. His hyung had looked devastated when he realized how much his words had cut Jungwoo, and there were a lot of tears and apologies, but it worked out in the end. Taeil hadn’t meant to hurt Jungwoo like that, he was trying to look at for his heath, but he acknowledged that he shouldn’t have said it so harshly and shouldn’t have phrased it the way he did. 

Now that all the members know that he’s sensitive, they’ve become more understanding and watch what and how they say things more often. It’s benefitted both Jungwoo and the group as a whole because everyone has started to think about their words and tone more often and everyone feels more comfortable being vulnerable with each other. Jungwoo doesn’t feel like he has to bottle things up and suffer alone when he’s been hurt now, he has the confidence that the members will listen to his troubles and he feels like his trust in them all has grown a lot; and it goes both ways. Jungwoo knows that he can rely on all his brothers, and he also knows that he’ll be there for them in return.


End file.
